Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Black Pepper Pasta)

Steps

1. Bring 8 cups of water to a

   boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   in a Dutch oven or wide pot and add the salt. Using less water than usual makes it starchier.
2. Toast (how to toast)

   Toast Heat nuts, seeds, spices or bread crumbs in a dry pan or oven until fragrant and lightly browned. 1. Spread them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, or on a sheet pan at 350°F.2. Shake the pan or stir often.3. Watch and smell: the moment they smell nutty, they are close.4. Tip them onto a plate right away; the hot pan keeps cooking them. Done when: They are fragrant and a shade darker. Small seeds take 1 to 3 minutes; nuts in the oven 5 to 10. How to toast nuts, seeds, spices and bread: mistakes to avoid

   the pepper in a dry 12-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant, then turn off the heat.
   ⏱ Toast pepper: 1 min
3. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, until 2 minutes short of al dente.
   ⏱ Boil pasta: 8 min
4. Scoop 1 cup of the pasta water into a measuring cup and let it cool slightly.
   ⏱ Cool water: 1 min
5. Put the cheese in a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the slightly cooled pasta water to make a smooth, thick paste.
6. Pour 1/2 cup more pasta water into the skillet with the pepper.
7. Move the spaghetti into the skillet with tongs and cook over medium heat, tossing, until al dente and the liquid has

   reduced (how to reduce)

   Reduce Simmer a liquid uncovered so water steams off and the flavor and body get stronger. 1. Use a wide pan; more surface means faster reducing.2. Bring the liquid to a lively simmer, uncovered.3. Stir now and then and scrape the sides back in.4. Look at the level against the pan, or dip a spoon to check thickness.5. Salt at the end, since salt gets stronger as it reduces. Done when: The level has dropped by the amount the recipe says, and it is glossy and coats a spoon. How to reduce a sauce: mistakes to avoid

   by about half.
   ⏱ Finish pasta: 2 min
8. Turn off the heat and wait so the pan is warm, not scorching.
   ⏱ Cool pan: 30 sec
9. Add the cheese paste and toss quickly, adding splashes of the remaining pasta water, until a creamy sauce coats the noodles. Serve at once.

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Tips

• If the cheese clumps, the pan was too hot. Add a splash of warm pasta water and toss off the heat until smooth.
• Grind the pepper coarse; fine pepper turns the sauce gray and gritty.
• Pecorino is traditionally made with animal rennet. For a strictly vegetarian dish, look for a hard sheep's milk cheese labeled vegetarian.

Storage

Best eaten right away; the sauce does not reheat well.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.